by Fujino Omori
“…Aiz, let me be honest,” Riveria added, switching her tone after she’d made her point as the second-in-command. She almost sounded like a mother. “Personally…I’m glad to see you’re troubled by all this.”
“…?”
“There’s no right answer…You’ve begun to question the black flame that plagues you. You know, the path that you’re on isn’t all predetermined.”
She stepped closer. In front of Aiz, who was curled up on top of the bed, Riveria met her golden gaze with jade eyes. Sitting down next to her, she gently brushed the girl’s blond hair with her hand, gently admonishing her.
“Hesitate. Think. To your heart’s content.”
“…”
“And never forget: You aren’t alone anymore…I’ll say it as many times as I have to.”
At that, Aiz opened her eyes wide for the first time.
She could feel the emotions behind that comment from Riveria, who had taken her under her wing. Finding herself embraced by Riveria’s affection, Aiz felt the despair and insecurity that had latched onto her miraculously abate.
“…I…um…love you,” added Riveria on what seemed to be a whim.
That left Aiz in even more shock than before.
Riveria seemed to realize she had said something astounding, because her cheeks became flushed, and she looked away. It was the kind of look that would normally never appear on her face. She seemed to be struggling with how to articulate her next thought, as if she was reluctant to say it, but she finally opened her mouth.
“I can’t be your hero, but…I…You know.”
From that, Aiz understood what Riveria was trying to tell her. Her desire to support Aiz made it through to her. It was funny to see Riveria acting so embarrassed, causing Aiz to break into a small smile. Her first one in a long while.
“Thank you, Riveria…” she replied on instinct.
She hadn’t reached a decision on what to do with the hesitancy that still consumed her. But the difference between how she had been feeling before and now was night and day.
Aiz straightened, her body ready to move forward after standing still in the middle of the maze for so long, smiling like she had as a child. Riveria had been fidgeting, but when she saw that grin, the high elf stopped and kindly smiled back.
I have to get past doubting and worrying…
Aiz had not found an answer that could illuminate the darkness inside her. She might never find one. But she decided she’d had enough of sitting around doing nothing. When Aiz asked herself what she wanted to do now, it became simpler. She became honest with herself.
“Riveria…do you know what’s happening to Hestia Familia now?”
“…? Their connection to the Xenos hasn’t been made public. Right now, they should be behaving themselves until the situation dies down. After striking a deal with Ouranos’s side, we have no plans to interact with them…”
Ever since the incident, Aiz had withdrawn into herself, which meant she did not have a clear grasp on the current situation in Orario.
Riveria looked puzzled as she explained it to her. “As for the hate aimed at Bell Cranell and the harm to his reputation, the commotion has mostly abated. I didn’t see it myself, but apparently, his battle with the black minotaur swayed public opinion back in his favor.”
“I see…” Aiz nodded in response, casting her gaze to the side, looking up at the dark sky and moon outside her window.
Aiz made her decision.
In order to resolve this doubt. In order to move forward. I have to see him.
It was before dawn, the time of morning when everything was still shrouded in darkness.
Beyond the city walls, the outline of the mountains was barely visible, covered in shadow. Past that shone a burst of crimson light. Lefiya had already woken up at this hour. More precisely, she had spotted a certain person through her window and scrambled down the halls of the manor in pursuit.
“…Miss Aiz.”
She reached the midair hallway extending between towers. The blond-haired, golden-eyed girl was standing there, at the handrail, only looking forward as Lefiya saw her face in profile.
“Hey, Lefiya…”
“…What?”
Aiz wasn’t brooding as she had been doing until yesterday. Instead, there was a freshness to her. Lefiya couldn’t tell whether the morning air was this crisp in summer or something else was making her feel that way.
In either case, the elf felt as though she were standing before a spirit who would disappear if she reached out her hand.
“The armed monsters…I think they’re called Xenos.”
“Yes…”
“I think those monsters are…disgusting…No, I think that’s what I want to think. In order to stop being confused. To be able to swing my sword.”
“…”
“Lefiya…what do you think of them?”
Aiz shared her thoughts before asking her own question. It might well have been the first time Aiz had ever come to Lefiya seeking advice.
In their day-to-day lives, they relied on each other for small things, asked each other insignificant questions. But there had never been a time before when Aiz had truly asked her for her input.
The Sword Princess—more beautiful and stronger than anyone else—had come to her for help. And it made Lefiya both overjoyed and lonely to know that it had come at a time like this.
“…We…”
Lefiya started to respond but closed her mouth again. She was about to say, We can’t afford disunity in the familia right before the assault on Knossos , but she stopped herself. Because this conversation had nothing to do with the fate of the city.
When she realized that Aiz was looking for her opinion as the elf Lefiya Viridis, she responded frankly, “I…I think those monsters are frightening, to tell you the truth. I think their very existence could turn the world as we know it upside down.”
“…”
“That said, if there are people who would sacrifice themselves in order to plead on behalf of the Xenos…then I think we should lend those people an ear.”
Lefiya couldn’t bring herself to say she would have absolute trust or faith in the monsters. That was her honest opinion. As for the people trying to vouch for them…she would be open to believing in that boy. She’d seen him trying to protect the vouivre, even when it meant sustaining insult and injury. Lefiya believed it would be cowardly to shut her eyes and cover her ears whenever it would be more convenient to humanity that way. That was her opinion as someone who had herself been shaken by it.
Aiz must have been thinking about the same person. It was something that she really did not want to admit, but Lefiya had a hunch that was the case.
“…I see.” After a long silence, Aiz nodded. Her beautiful golden hair fluttered, and the doubt that had been hanging about her face disappeared entirely. Lefiya’s words had given her determination. The final push to make her decision. She felt extremely guilty about that.
“…I’m going out for a bit.”
Turning her back, Aiz started to walk away. Lefiya did not try to ask where she was going.
“Okay…See you later.”
She simply watched Aiz’s back as she left.
She walked through the slumbering neighborhood, where no children were in sight, not after monsters had just emerged aboveground and thrown the city into an uproar. There were no adventurers drinking the night away or drunkards collapsed and dozing on the side of the road. As she savored the amusing thought that she might be the only person in the world, Aiz slipped through the quiet city by herself.
The sun started to rise. The eastern sky gradually lightened, turning blue near the horizon in the distance. By then, she’d reached her destination, the outer edge of Orario’s northwest side, right in front of the towering city wall. Aiz ducked into the hidden entrance and climbed the long stairs before finally reemerging outside.
“…”
The wind was blowing. A morning breeze
coming in from the east. The figure of a single adventurer was standing there, bathed in the morning glow. White hair and rubellite eyes. The boy was still, gazing at the stark white tower in the center of the city.
“Miss Aiz…?”
“Yes…Good morning.”
As Aiz silently approached, the boy—Bell—had noticed her.
“…Why are you here?”
“I’m not sure…I guess I thought if I came, I might find you.”
That was the truth. After witnessing his fight with the black minotaur and talking with Riveria, she suspected that the boy before her would come here, to the top of the city wall. This was the place where he had tried to get stronger, driven on by his countless training sessions with Aiz.
“I see.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“…”
“…”
A blank space was accompanied by extended silence. But this wasn’t an uncomfortable passage of time.
The wind rustled their hair.
“Miss Aiz.”
“?”
“Will you teach me how to fight again?”
“…Even after what happened?”
“Yes.” There was no doubt in his eyes as he nodded.
The magnificent chalk-white tower piercing the sky—and the labyrinth slumbering below it.
It brought to mind promises and conclusions.
Aiz felt just left behind in that moment. By someone who was still far weaker, by the boy who should have been looking up at a goal that was too high, too far beyond his reach.
“…You’re a sly one.”
“…I’m sorry.”
That’s why Aiz said what she was really thinking.
“…Fine.”
“…Really?”
“Yes…You have the same eyes.”
“?”
“The ones I always see in the mirror.” But Aiz was relieved. “Yes…But they’re different…They’re not strange like mine. They’re more beautiful, and, um.”
“…Pfft.”
“…What are you laughing about?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Because despite branching out on their own paths and crossing blades, their bond had not been severed.
“I…have some things to take care of, so I’m not sure when I can do it.”
“That’s okay…Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
“…”
“…”
“Miss Aiz.”
“What?”
And then he said it.
“I…want to become stronger.”
That struck Aiz’s heart to her core in its current state.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going now.”
“Okay.”
“…See you.”
“…Okay.”
Turning away, she started to walk. For once, Aiz did not turn around to watch him go as she felt him getting farther away. She only looked forward—toward the place that she needed to go, marching on the path she had chosen.
“I…want to become stronger, too.”
From their meeting, Aiz reaped that phrase—it wasn’t an answer. She still hadn’t found a way to escape the woods where she had gotten lost. But it had inspired something in her. That boy had decided on his journey, and she renewed her determination to forge ahead, too, so that she would not get left behind.
“It…was good that I met you now.”
He’s going to start sprinting forward again. That’s why I’ll start running, too. Overcome my doubts. For now.
I…should learn from him , she thought, assuming this frame of mind: his approach to becoming strong, no matter what the appearances. That was something she needed now. She had to become stronger—in order to defeat Knossos, in order to avoid losing to that red-haired creature again.
Descending the stairs from the city wall, Aiz came out at a dash—not heading toward Twilight Manor in the north but to the south, where a certain strongest one resided.
CHAPTER 2
THE DECISIVE BATTLE INTERMISSION
The sun had cleared the horizon, peeking over the city wall.
By the time the city began to rouse its heavy eyelids as it stirred awake and the morning bustle gradually started to spread, Aiz had reached Orario’s southern area in the Fifth District.
Rising before her was a towering gate and four walls that were a bit too solid to call a fence. Despite being in the middle of Orario’s most lively and varied Shopping District, it boasted the appearance of a castle wall. There was no guard at the gate, just a tense atmosphere, like the calm before a storm. It was probably a warning to all not to approach.
Which Aiz did not heed. She came to a halt, looking up and walking in front of the gate. With a completely serious look, demonstrating her resolve, she banged it with her fist as if knocking on a door.
“…I’m coming for thee.”
Bam! Bam! echoed a silly sound unbefitting a majestic gate.
According to Loki, that was what people were supposed to say when announcing a martial arts challenge—er, knocking on the gate of someone else’s home. Well, it should be fine. That’s what she believed, standing there with a comically earnest look on her face. She did not realize that in this situation, it was the kind of fatal misunderstanding that would have scared the hell out of even Loki, who would have foamed at the mouth.
Before long, the doors opened with a weighty creak.
“…”
Aiz sauntered forward and through the gate, where upon she found a green wilderness spreading before her eyes. Small white and golden rings of flowers rippled in a beautiful field that one would not expect to see in the middle of a city. The field was covered by flowers that could be crushed by a single step, and the land was lush.
And in the middle of the field, at the heart of the estate, was a hill. Atop that was a giant manor that could be mistaken for a temple or palace. The magnificent sight carefully isolated from the complex cityscape around it could almost be a painting.
Aiz was captivated as she stepped into a place that she had never been in before, while the gate groaned loudly again, shutting behind her.
“!”
In an instant, she was surrounded. A swarm of adventurers appeared all at once, from above and behind cover. Forming a ring around Aiz, they all held weapons, and every last one of those weapons was pointed at her. Their perfect encirclement was almost artistic, speaking volumes to their level of training. At the same time, a dangerous hostility was brewing beneath the surface.
“—Marching in here by yourself, huh? You looking to start something?”
Ringed by a multitude of weapons, Aiz was assailed by a rough voice that made no attempt to hide its malice. A single animal person emerged from the group surrounding her: a male cat person with black and silver fur, incredibly intimidating despite being considerably shorter than Aiz.
Aiz remembered him. He was one of the assassins who had attacked under the cover of darkness after one of her training sessions on the wall with that boy. At the time, his face had been concealed by a visor and he’d been equipped with night-raid gear, but now he was wearing standard battle clothes, leaving his sharp eyes and features on display.
His title was Vana Freya and his name was Allen Fromel. The very model of a first-tier adventurer.
“What do you want, doll girl?”
The name of that place was Folkvangr.
Home of Freya Familia .
“If you have something to say, you’ve got two seconds. If you just want to die, then keep standing there with your mouth shut.”
She was curtly told that questions would not be tolerated.
Allen’s sharp gaze pierced through Aiz, who was hemmed in by a thick curtain of tension that was completely at odds with the clear blue sky and sunlight streaming in from above.
No, it certainly wasn’t just Allen. The other adventurers, the members of Freya Familia , were glaring at her with hos
tility, as if they were preparing to avenge a slain parent. From their point of view, one of the core members of a hostile faction had appeared without warning in the early morning, meaning their response was understandable, but—
…That’s weird. I made sure to say “I’m coming for thee,” following the proper protocol when you visit someone…Then why…?
Ever the airhead in these sorts of situations, Aiz was completely lost.
I followed Loki’s instructions to a T, but I’m somehow a half step away from a fight to the death. Did I get something wrong? Or did you trick me, Loki?
A cold sweat beaded on her cheek. The younger version of herself residing in her heart had grown distant following the incident with the dragon girl, but at the moment, her inner child was contorting herself in a weird pose, holding her hands together in prayer.
Aiz had no idea what she should do even as her agitation mounted under the mask of a composed expression that hid her emotions. She wasn’t able to say anything in response.
“All right. Death it is.”
It had been exactly two seconds.
Paying no heed to Aiz’s situation, Allen thrust his silver spear with blinding speed. He was about to skewer the defenseless girl before she could even draw her sword.
“—What’s going on?”
But just before he could stab her, a sonorous voice echoed across the field like the strumming of a harp. Aiz’s eyes focused on the source—directly ahead of her, atop the hill. She looked at the figure descending the white stairs extending from the manor. Though they were some distance away from each other, the owner of the voice exuded the gravitas of a queen as she approached them with a single attendant in tow.
In an instant, all the adventurers surrounding Aiz assumed a reverent stance, like faithful retainers. But their caution toward Aiz did not waver in the slightest, which was to be expected. Allen was the only one who didn’t move, continuing to keep his spear right in front of Aiz’s eyes as the patron goddess of the city’s greatest familia, Freya, approached them.
“I thought it seemed a bit noisy, but…hee-hee-hee, if a rare guest has paid us a visit, I suppose it’s only natural.”
